Paul Conway is a journalist and self-professed film expert who, in 1967, is on the trail of a tantalizing rumor. As he drives across the desert, he recounts images from the heralded film Greed by the legendary filmmaker Erich von Stroheim. When he reaches his destination, which resembles an old-fashioned hotel, he is greeted by a mysterious woman who he believes may have what he is looking for --- the only known copy of 1927’s The Devil’s Playground, a Holy Grail for movie buffs.

Thus begins THE DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND, a masterwork of both the supernatural and Depression-era Hollywood. Craig Russell is a household name in the UK and resides in Scotland. For years, he has brought tales of horror and those of classic detection to life, winning a handful of literary awards along the way. He is the ideal writer to bring us the story of an infamous film that was allegedly cursed and never released.

"This is a terrific blend of historical fiction, with its depiction of classic Hollywood, and chilling supernatural elements. We go along for the ride, especially with Mary, who will unearth some things she probably wishes had stayed buried."

We are then transported to 1927 and introduced to Mary Rourke, a Hollywood fixer who is working for studio head Harry Carbine regarding a tragedy that took place during the filming of The Devil’s Playground. The star, Norma Carlton, was found dead before her final scene was shot. The public was told that her death was due to a heart ailment. However, Mary knows that this isn’t true and that the Egyptian necklace that adorned her corpse was hiding evidence of strangulation.

THE DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND reveals more shocking history. One of these stories is set in 1897 Kansas, where a young man called simply “Boy” visits the traveling carnival and is taken in by the tent housing the Dahlman and Darke Magic Lantern Phantasmagoria. Inside, he and other guests are convinced that they see the devil being conjured before their eyes. We later learn that “Boy” became the screenwriter of The Devil’s Playground; this unbelievable incident from his youth served as inspiration for the screenplay.

Rumors of a cursed set begin to spread when a crew member falls from atop a fake building steeple and breaks his back, never to walk again. As Mary begins speaking with everyone she can, a nice mix of fictionalized and real Hollywood characters, she herself is in a bad car accident that lands her in the hospital. It is clear that someone or something does not want her getting the answers she is seeking about Norma’s death.

We also are taken back to Louisiana in the 1890s, where we meet more suspicious characters who may or may not be involved in some sort of voodoo…or worse. This is evidenced by a strange young girl, Anastasie, who a local priest refuses to baptize. Later on, in the early 1900s, the same Louisiana town finds a man seemingly buried alive inside his family mausoleum.

THE DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND, driven by Craig Russell’s expert plotting, continues to provide different pieces of the puzzle to unsettle us in the form of both older history and what Paul Conway experiences in the 1960s when he finally sees the film that purports to bring Ba’al Zebub to life on the screen. This is a terrific blend of historical fiction, with its depiction of classic Hollywood, and chilling supernatural elements. We go along for the ride, especially with Mary, who will unearth some things she probably wishes had stayed buried.